Color ink composition and color ink jet printing method

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/JP94/00755 Sec. 371 Date Mar. 29, 1995 Sec. 102(e) Date Mar. 29, 1995 PCT Filed May 10, 1994 PCT Pub. No. WO94/26828 PCT Pub. Date Nov. 24, 1994A yellow ink composition, a magenta ink composition and cyan ink composition and a solvent system which are suitable for a color ink jet printing method are disclosed. These ink compositions can realize ideal color tones without limitation of properties of paper. Moreover, these ink compositions are excellent in intermittent jetting stability. The color ink jet printing method is also disclosed. In this method, ink compositions are overprinted to mix colors. Colors obtained by the color mixing have an ideal color tone.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A yellow ink composition comprising C.I. Direct Yellow 86 and C.I. Direct yellow 132 in a weight ratio of 1:3 to 3:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the ink composition. 
     
     
       2. A magenta ink composition comprising C.I. Acid Red 52 and C.I. Acid Red 289 in a weight ratio of 1:2 to 2:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5 % by weight based on the ink composition. 
     
     
       3. An ink composition for ink jet printing, comprising water, a dye, a hydrophilic, high-boiling and low-volatile solvent, a polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether and an acetylene glycol represented by the following formula (I): ##STR2## wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3  and R 4  each independently represent a C 1-6  alkyl group and n+m is 0 to 30, the contents of the polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether and the acetylene glycol represented by the formula (I) being 7 to 12% by weight and 0.5 to 1.2% by weight, respectively. 
     
     
       4. An ink composition according to claim 3, wherein the polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether and the acetylene glycol represented by the formula (I) are contained in respective amounts of 7 to 10% by weight and 0.5 to 1% by weight. 
     
     
       5. An ink composition according to claim 3, wherein the polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether is triethylene glycol monobutyl ether and the acetylene glycol is represented by the formula (I) where R 1  and R 4  are isobutyl, R 2  and R 3  are a methyl group and m+n is about 10. 
     
     
       6. The ink composition according to claim 3, wherein the amount of the hydrophilic, high-boiling and low-volatile solvent added is 50% by weight or more based on the polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether. 
     
     
       7. The ink composition according to claim 3, which further comprises 0.001 to 1.0% by weight of benzotriazole. 
     
     
       8. The ink composition according to claim 7, wherein the amount of benzotriazole added is in the range of from 0.005 to 0.5% by weight. 
     
     
       9. The ink composition according to claim 3, which has a surface tension of not less than 29 mN/m. 
     
     
       10. The ink composition according to claim 3, wherein the dye comprises C.I. Direct Yellow 86 and C.I. Direct Yellow 132 in a weight ratio of 1:3 to 3:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the ink composition. 
     
     
       11. The ink composition according to claim 3, wherein the dye comprises C.I. Acid Red 52 and C.I. Acid Red 289 in a weight ratio of 1:2 to 2:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5% by weight based on the ink composition. 
     
     
       12. The ink composition according to claim 3, wherein the dye comprised 1 to 4% by weight of one or more dyes selected from a group consisting of C.I. Direct Blue 199, C.I. Direct Blue 86 and C.I. Acid Blue 9. 
     
     
       13. In combination, a yellow ink composition comprising C.I. Direct Yellow 86 and C.I. Direct Yellow 132 in a weight ratio of 1:3 to 3:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the yellow ink composition, a magenta ink composition comprising C.I. Acid Red 52 and C.I. Acid Red 289 in a weight ratio of 1:2 to 2:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5% by weight based on the magenta ink composition, and a cyan ink composition comprising 1 to 4% by weight of one or more dyes selected from the group consisting of C.I. Direct Blue 199, C.I. Direct Blue 86 and C.I. Acid Blue 9. 
     
     
       14. An ink cartridge comprising a yellow ink composition comprising C.I. Direct Yellow 86 and C.I. Direct Yellow 132 in a weight ratio of 1:3 to 3:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the yellow ink composition, a magenta ink composition comprising C.I. Acid Red 52 and C.I. Acid Red 289 in a weight ratio of 1:2 to 2:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5% by weight based on the magenta ink composition, and a cyan ink composition comprising 1 to 4% by weight of one or more dyes selected from a group consisting of C.I. Direct Blue 199, C.I. Direct Blue 86 and C.I. Acid Blue 9, wherein the ink compositions are contained in separated spaces in the cartridge, respectively. 
     
     
       15. In combination, a yellow ink composition comprising C.I. Direct Yellow 86 and C.I. Direct Yellow 132 in a weight ratio of 1:3 to 3:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the yellow ink composition, a magenta ink composition comprising C.I. Acid Red 52 and C.I. Acid Red 289 in a weight ratio of 1:2 to 2:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5% by weight based on the magenta ink composition, and a cyan ink composition comprising 1 to 4% by weight of one or more dyes selected from the group consisting of C.I. Direct Blue 199, C.I. Direct Blue 86 and C.I. Acid Blue 9. 
     
     
       16. An ink cartridge comprising a yellow ink composition comprising C.I. Direct Yellow 86 and C.I. Direct Yellow 132 in a weight ratio of 1:3 to 3:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the ink yellow composition, a magenta ink composition comprising C.I. Acid Red 52 and C.I. Acid Red 289 in a weight ratio of 1:2 to 2:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5% by weight based on the ink composition, and a cyan ink composition comprising 1 to 4 % by weight of one or more dyes selected from the group consisting of C.I. Direct Blue 199, C.I. Direct Blue 86 and C.I. Acid Blue 9, wherein the ink compositions are contained in separated spaces in the cartridge, respectively. 
     
     
       17. A color ink jet printing method comprising the step of ejecting an ink composition on a recording medium to form an ink image, wherein the ink composition comprises a yellow ink composition, a magenta ink composition and a cyan ink composition, the yellow ink composition comprising C.I. Direct Yellow 86 and C.I. Direct Yellow 132 in a weight ratio of 1:3 to 3:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the ink composition, and the magenta ink composition comprising C.I. Acid Red 52 and C.I. Acid Red 289 in a weight ratio of 1:2 to 2:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5% by weight based on the magenta ink composition. 
     
     
       18. A color ink jet printing method comprising the step of ejecting an ink composition on a recording medium to form an ink image, wherein the ink composition comprises a yellow ink composition, a magenta ink composition and a cyan ink composition, wherein the yellow ink composition comprises C.I. Direct Yellow 86 and C.I. Direct Yellow 132 in a weight ratio of 1:3 to 3:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the yellow ink composition, the magenta ink composition comprises C.I. Acid Red 52 and C.I. Acid Red 289 in a weight ratio of 1:2 to 2:1 and each in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5% by weight based on the magenta ink composition. 
     
     
       19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the cyan ink composition comprises 1 to 4% by weight of one or more dyes selected from a group consisting of C.I. Direct Blue 199, C.I. Direct Blue 86 and C.I. Acid Blue 9. 
     
     
       20. An ink jet printing method comprising jetting droplets of an ink composition according to claim 7 through a nozzle of a recording head, wherein the ink composition is fed from an ink vessel to the recording head, an ink absorber is placed in the ink vessel so as to impregnate and hold the ink composition therewith in the ink vessel, and   the nozzle in the recording head is a nozzle which has been subjected to a water-repellent treatment.   
     
     
       21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the ink absorber is a urethane foam. 
     
     
       22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the water-repellent treatment is an eutectoid plating using a nickel-fluoropolymer. 
     
     
       23. The method according to claim 17, wherein the cyan ink composition comprises 1 to 4% by weight of one or more dyes selected from the group consisting of C.I. Direct Blue 199, C.I. Direct Blue 86 and C.I. Acid Blue 9, said ink composition further comprising water, a hydrophilic, high-boiling and low-volatile solvent, a polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether and an acetylene glycol represented by the following formula (I): ##STR3## wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 , each independently represents a C 1-6  alkyl group and n+m is 0 to 30, the contents of the polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether and the acetylene glycol represented by the formula (I) being 7 to 12% by weight and 0.5 to 1.2% by weight, respectively. 
     
     
       24. The method according to claim 23, wherein any two of the yellow ink composition, the magenta ink composition and the cyan ink composition are overprinted to form red, green and blue for color printing. 
     
     
       25. The method according to claim 23, wherein acid paper is used as recording paper. 
     
     
       26. The method according to claim 18, wherein the cyan ink composition comprises 1 to 4% by weight of one or more dyes selected from a group consisting of C.I. Direct Blue 199, C.I. Direct Blue 86 and C.I. Acid Blue 9, said ink composition further comprising water, a hydrophilic, high-boiling and low-volatile solvent, a polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether and an acetylene glycol represented by the following formula (I): ##STR4## wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 , each independently represents a C 1-6  alkyl group and n+m is 0 to 30, the contents of the polyhydric alcohol lower alkyl ether and the acetylene glycol represented by the formula (I) being 7 to 12% by weight and 0.5 to 1.2% by weight, respectively.